Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, in the Chamber. I am especially delighted that she is here at this time and at this junction. It is appropriate that she is here. I welcome all the people in the Gallery. I thank Senator Nash and his Labour Party colleagues for coming up with this idea and preparing this motion. I wish to acknowledge the work of Senator Jerry Buttimer as our Leader. We are very proud of Jerry. It is not easy for a person to go out and tell his story and to put it out there all the time. While we are public figures, we are also private individuals. Our story impacts on so many other people through our own relationships. That is something that people do not always remember, so it is important to say it.

I wish to acknowledge the great role of Senator David Norris and the former Senator and former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. It says everything about the great Seanad and the capacity, capability and opportunity that this Chamber, this political stage, offers people.

Senator Norris has used it effectively. We all know of the long battle that began in 1977, when Senator Norris initiated his case against Ireland's oppressive laws on homosexuality. He has told me on many occasions of that lonely road. I know he does not mind my sharing it in the House. It was a road on which people spat at others and turned on the opposite side. It was where a church and congregation shut its doors to people who were committed to being involved. These are the lonely stories that no one tells. It is a long road but Senator Norris was brave enough for it. He took his case to the High Court in 1980. Again, it was rejected there. Then he went to the Supreme Court in 1983, where it was also rejected by five judges. We should remember that five judges found that the law in force did not contravene the Constitution, which we hold up in our hands and of which we are proud. Then there was great Europe. We turned to the European Court of Human Rights. It was there, with help from Mary Robinson, the former Senator and former President of Ireland, where the judges finally ruled that Irish law contravened human rights. The court in Europe vindicated our rights. I always say that when we talk about Europe, we must never forget that great role.Europe is at the heart of our lives and we wish to be at the heart of Europe. On so many occasions, whether in the area of human rights, of environmental rights or in respect of so much other legislation, we have found support there and we must not forget that. The Norris-Robinson legal challenge was one of the most important steps in the liberation of gay people in Ireland. That is worth saying. It was one of the most important steps in, and foundations of, the liberation of gay people in this country. It led to a new generation of gay people being able to live their lives fully, more openly and, more importantly, authentically. We are all called to live our lives and to be authentic in them.

I would like to turn to two parts of the motion because it talks about an area over which we cannot go, that of hate crimes. Let us be vigilant. All is not well. We need to address hate crime, particularly in this area. Second, the last part of this motion talks about ensuring "our foreign policy promotes and protects human rights globally-----